noah's sights are aimed toward the crowds bathed in slateport sun. in the sporty blues of his gym uniform, he is no stranger to the electricity of athleticism and contest.

tossing out his medicham, the pink martial artist stretches its long grey limbs as if praying to some unseen god.

"you ready, buddy?" noah says to mikhail. as he turns his eyes fall, almost in slow motion, to the shorts his partner wears. "nice shorts."

a smirk curls up on his lips like a golden horn.

"we're like, basically on the same wavelength man. no way we're gonna lose."

their opponents arrive. a deeply infatuated sun hat wearing always smiling never been sad before couple with an onix and cloyster.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

unfortunately - or maybe it's fortunately? - in this case, embarassment was not part of the long list of skills that dmitri volkov left his son with. so when noah stares at him with a smirk, jayden simply blinks and then genuinely: "thank you. i received it from one of the festival shops."
[break][break] a pause, as he tilts his head. "did you design them?"
[break][break] as the conversation continues, jayden nods. he's not sure what wavelengths have to do with this, but he is sure noah faber knows what he's talking about. after all, he's a gym leader.
[break][break] as the couple arrives, the two are wearing sun hats large enough to absorb into one giant sun hat monstrosity. more than that, they are disgustingly cheesy with one another.
[break][break] "booboo bear, are you going to win this one for me?"
[break][break] "of course honey cakes! i would never dream of anything else!"
[break][break] their pokemon, of course, take to the field. an onix and cloyster. jayden's gaze narrows - both pokemon seem formidable, the onix maybe moreso. "let's go."
[break][break] timofey reaches down and shakes the ground with EARTHQUAKE, throwing up sand and earth and a scatter of hermit crabs thrown exactly in their opponents faces.
[break][break] the woman screeches, hanging onto her "booboo bear". "EEK!"

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

noah almost doubles over laughing at the idea that he was the one responsible for its design. not that it was a particularly terrible pattern—although some would say otherwise—but the gym leader's creative sensibilities only extend to the martial arts and the decision to brush his teeth left or right on any particular morning.

as the couple screech their lovedovey epithets, noah leans into michail to say, "this is the most foul thing i've ever seen man. we can not lose against them, aight?"

noah's MEDICHAM avoids its ally's EARTHQUAKE thanks to its TELEPATHY. as his medicham closes in, a BULLET PUNCH shatters several of the ICICLE SPEARS shot their way from the CLOYSTER.

"keep an eye out for your little buddy, roda!" noah shouts, referring to the golett.

the onix roars and begins to pick up a SANDSTORM.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

foul?

[break][break] jayden tilts his head curiously at noah faber, wondering what he means by that. he then looks back at their components, watching as the couple lean in close to each other and giggle. whispering secrets in each other's ear.

[break][break] something akin to discomfort settles in his stomach, like trying days-old takeout boxes from the very back of your fridge. "alright," he affirms with the gym leader, even though he is still not entirely sure what foul means.

[break][break] does noah faber mean that this behavior... was contagious? would they become them if they lost?

[break][break] "ok, now get close!"

[break][break] as the sandstorm whips around them, the golett pulls apart space and time with phantom force. a shadow portal opens up in front of him and he dives in, only reappearing at the other end near the cloyster. he aims a punch swiftly at the pokemon's face before the pokemon can use it's whirlpool attack. water sinks into the sand and purple crystals embed itself in his ghostly fist.

[break][break] meanwhile the onix lets out a roar as it swings it's body towards the medicham with smack down.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

the onix collides with the ground— but its rocky head strikes no medicham. like some clandestine assassin running across moonlit rooftops, the medicham sprints across its rocky body.

it leaps off the tail, landing on the cloyster with a curled fist. immediately, a BULLET PUNCH ensues as punch after punch is delivered alongside the golett's own.

"keep an eye out behind you!" noah says.

the onix slowly pulls itself off the ground with a groan. in the meantime, the cloyster struggles to retaliate as its trainer wails for it to move, begging their partner to act.

"not bad, not bad, man." noah smiles at jayden, unaware of the other's confusion. "ever considered taking on the gym challenge?"

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

the cloyster lets out a cry of surprise as it's face is smashed by the attack, it's shell chipping off in parts. once it recovers, it glares at the golett from it's hiding place. for a moment, the only thing visible are it's fierce, glowing eyes which disappear as an ice beam surges out from it, a direct line of sight from jayden's golett.

[break][break] "timofey!" jayden's voice is sharp. "phantom force!"

[break][break] this time, when the shadows warp around the ghost type, it isn't to attack. it wraps around the pokemon and sucks the dual type into a mysterious force, depositing it far away from the cloyster and much closer to where his partner is making bullet holes in the onix who is crying out in pain. arm cocking back, he aims a SHADOW PUNCH at the rocky beast to aid his partner in the assault.

[break][break] meanwhile, jayden turns to the gym leader, blinking with surprise. "i — no, not really." he pauses, thinking of what Melody Miro mentioned to him earlier. "do you think i should?"

[break][break] perhaps challenging the gyms would help him better understand what she had meant by the word partner.

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"cover timofey!" noah says, hearing the golett's name.

medicham leaps in front of the golett, cycling positions like tag team hawlucha. the cloyster fires ICICLE SPEARS toward them after a misfired ICE BEAM. a precise DETECT allows the medicham to match each projectile with a fist or kick, smashing them into shards that scatter coldly on to the ground.

"you got the stuff!" noah grins. "then again, the gym challenge doesn't determine whether you're good trainer or not." he shouts encouragement and after a quick breath, noah continues.

"the league's looking for good trainers all the time, man."

the onix wraps its tail around the medicham as the misty air begins to settle. a BIND traps noah's pokemon tightly around the waist.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

jayden pauses.

[break][break] something brims at the corner of his subconcious, a prickling sensation that he isn't quite able to get rid of. "then what is?" he finds himself asking, despite himself.

[break][break] the league. the words of noah faber make something flash by his mind's eye, but it's quick. jayden has heard many stories about the league - likely none of them good - and it's only the words of the other that manage to sober his curiosity.

[break][break] meanwhile, timofey peels forward with his attacks. he's glad for the cover, which he communicates to the other pokemon with a quick cry. but he's much too focused to do anything else — at least, until his partner gets stuck in a bind. quite literally.

[break][break] reaching down beneath him, he uses an earthquake to rock the earth in an attempt to knock the onix's grip and release his comrade.

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"i dunno. battles are like, y'know, standardized tests, don't you think?" noah chimes brightly against the cacophony of stone and ice. the earth occasionally quakes with the violence of their contest— a contest that they are slowly winning. "that's why when we train officers, we gotta teach them how to act in certain scenarios and stuff. especially since rockets aren't gonna fight fair."

the EARTHQUAKE is enough for the stone serpent to release noah's pokemon. the tension that had once built around its waist is now liberated— and so is the medicham's vengeance.

still calm, the pokemon unleashes a barrage of PSYCHO CUTS. purple discs that fly around the other's golett in a stunning display of precision.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

standardized tests?

[break][break] jayden considers this. personally, he's never had to take one — most of his education was done by either rocket educators or people that his father had been able to pay off. at least, formally. there had been other types of education - training - that others went through.

[break][break] equally, if not more, rigorous.

[break][break] "that makes sense," he says, even though nearly every nerve in his body is saying otherwise. fight for rocket. but also at the same time. this is not the place nor the time.

[break][break] "are you — or were you — an officer, sir?" his head tilts, violet gaze observing the other dark-haired man with crystal-clarity.

[break][break] as the purple discs fly around timofey, he uses the psycho cut as a shield as he dashes forward. he cocks his arm back, fist glowing, as he aims a dynamic punch at the onix. it sends the other pokemon flying, crashing into the sand below.

[break][break]

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"yeah! i am now. mixing my officer duties with a gym leader's duties, y'know." noah says, briefly matching the other's lavender stare. in its crystalline colour, the gym leader finds himself unable to read him despite the conspicuous beauty of its hues. "but that's mostly the case for a lotta us."

his medicham parries several ICICLES from their opponent's cloyster. a tag team match up like this hectic— but noah bites into the meat of the thrill. fangs plant themselves firmly in its intensity, and as his whole body thrusts itself into the excitement of their battle, noah takes the time to glance at jayden with the brightest of grins.

"we're a pretty good pair. have anyone you battle with, usually? or a rival?"

his medicham lands on the fallen onix with a strong push of its feet. the rock-type pokemon seems as if its on its last legs (or tail?)— but the girlfriend shrieks defiantly.

protecting her boyfriend's dignity, she calls upon her cloyster to HYDRO PUMP.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","lyrics"]michail volkov v. noah faber

jayden blinks, nodding in understand. he supposes it makes sense — if he was able to also lead a separate life, it only made sense that the majority of the league would. especially people as important as noah faber.

[break][break] "do you find it difficult?"

[break][break] his attention shifts back to the battle at hand. cold and frost crash through the air as the medicham crashes through the icicle spears, matching them blow for blow. it's intense — even jayden has a hard time looking away, that is, until noah speaks to him again.

[break][break] he blinks.

[break][break] "no," he says honestly. a frown pokes at the corner of his mouth, a look of contemplation. "mostly i like to train on my own — or with my pokemon." he glances at noah. "not that... i'm opposed."

[break][break] it isn't that he's opposed to sparring — no one has asked him before, that's all.

[break][break] timofey's glare is sharp as his head snaps to the sound of a shriek from the girlfriend. he kicks up sand as he runs across it, the glow of iron defense aiding him as he stands in front of his medicham partner and throws his fists upwards, attempting to protect him and his partner from the brunt of the blow.

[attr="class","tag"] NOTES [break][break]
noah faber
[break][break] note: jayden signed up as "michail volkov" for the hst

[attr="class","endv"]
+ --

[attr="class","jaybirdsq"]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"sometimes. i used to have a lot more freedom before." noah lowers his voice, as if cradling a secret in the soft curve of his timbre. "spent a lot more time with my boyfriend and stuff, but we're both pretty busy now."

ahead, the golett protects noah's medicham. despite its relative size, the mighty HYDRO PUMP is an untrained spout. it lacks punch— the IRON DEFENSE condemning it to further mediocrity.

"oh yeah? then how about we train together, michail?"

protected, the medicham slams ICE PUNCHES onto a vulnerable rocky segment to finish off the onix. as the serpent disappears into the boyfriend's pokeball, noah thwacks jayden on the back.

"almost there, buddy!"

jayden cross

☉